Why ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Inspired Weird Al Yankovic to Make His Own Fake Biopic
thewrap.comThis story about “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” first appeared in the Limited Series/Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.Opening night of last year’s Toronto International Film Festival culminated with one of the wackiest and, yes, weirdest screenings imaginable.
Premiering at midnight, Roku’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”left a capacity TIFF audience in stitches at the almost wholly fictional saga of young Al’s rise from a kid whose passion for accordions and Hawaiian shirts shamed his parents to a global superstar who found time to romance Madonna and take down a Colombian drug cartel.The film was inspired by a Funny or Die video that director Eric Appel made in 2009, parodying rock biopics in the same way that Yankovic’s songs (“I Love Rocky Road,” “Another One Rides the Bus,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Amish Paradise”) gleefully distort rock hits.
Expanded from a three-minute trailer that starred Aaron Paul as the Weird one into a 108-minute romp with Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, the film has sex, violence, drugs, temper tantrums, lots of accordions and as many celebrity cameos as “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” which could as well have been an alternate title.
Yankovic and Appel spoke to TheWrap during a photo shoot for our Limited Series/Movies awards magazine. About 35 years ago, Al, I interviewed you to write your record company bio for the “Dare to Be Stupid” album.Weird Al Yankovic: Oh, my goodness.
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